Online political advertising is “quickly being established as a key influence that complements TV advertising with respondents of all age groups,” a new survey has found. The survey, …

Online political advertising is “quickly being established as a key influence that complements TV advertising with respondents of all age groups,” a new survey has found.

The survey, conducted by YuMe, Inc., a global audience technology company powered by data-driven insights and multi-screen expertise, questioned 620 U.S. voters on their opinion of both online and offline advertising methods.

“While respondents felt there were too many political ads as a whole, they still responded favorably to online advertising,” reads a report summary shared with MMW. “In particular, the millennial generation ranks online advertising as influential more frequently than other demographics.”

Yes, online is now competing seriously with television advertising during the political season.

“In this very political season politicians are hungrier than ever to figure out how to effectively deliver their messages to an increasingly fragmented electorate,” says Paul Neto, Director of Research at YuMe. “What we found is that those running for office need to approach their digital options in a thoughtful and highly targeted way, and if they don’t they’re likely to miss out on potentially game-changing opportunities.”

Some highlights from the survey include:

Across all age groups, offline contact was considered the least appealing method of learning about a candidate.

Social media is used as a strong medium for education and sharing of political issues and to research candidates.

Respondents found certain networks more trustworthy than others.

Demographics matter when it comes to influence. The research found that ads can influence new voters in specific demographics. Males and younger demographics changed their mind positively on a candidate because of an ad more often than the baseline, while 42% of respondents age 25-34 reported having positively changed their minds about a candidate because of an ad in the past.

Older audiences, people between the ages of 45 and 53, were least likely to change their mind about a candidate because of an ad.

“The conventional wisdom in political advertising has always been that television is the name of the game,” said Bryson Smith, Vice President, Political, Advocacy and Government Affairs at YuMe. “What this research shows, and what we see on the campaign trail, is that new digital methods add increased effectiveness when compared to other forms of political advertising.”